Firing mechanism for shells and other explosive missiles



G. L. McALPINE.

FIRING MECHANISM FOR SHELLS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE MISSILES.

'APPLICATION FILED AUG-2h 1919.

o Patented A 20, 1920 17 a 2 suz gfs-suzn I.

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G. L. McALPlNE.

FIRING MECHANISM FOR SHELLS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE MISSILES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-21., 1.919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920. r

GEORGE LEONARD MGALPINE, OF CATFORD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 JOHN J. GRIFFIN 8: SONS, LIMITED, OF HOLBORN, ENGLAND.

FIRING MECHANISM FOR SHELLS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE IVIISSILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed August 21, 1919. Serial No. 318,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LEONARD Mc- ALPINE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 34; Inchmery road, Catford, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Firing Mechanism for Shells and other Explosive Missiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to firing mechanism for use more-especially with shells but also applicable to other explosive missiles and of the general type described in the specification of my Patent No. 1,316,491, in which the firing pin is held up by the aid of a soluble member, such as a celluloid diaphragm or disk, adapted to be acted upon by an organic solvent, for example, acetone, the firing pin being released when the soluble member has been sufliciently weakened by the solvent. i

As applied to shells,-where the set back on firing the shell from the gun and the impact give rise to large forces in the movable members of the firing device, it is necessary in order to insure safety and certainty of action to support the firing pin in a manner which will prevent any forces to which it is liable interfering with the releasing mechanism and, according to this-invention, the firing pin or striker is held up by a transversely movable retaining member independent of the action of the firing pin spring and under the control of a separate spring which presses it against thesoluble member. The spring. of the retaining member displaces the latter transversely to the firing pin for release of the said-pin when the soluble member has sufiiciently weakened. The transverse retaining member is supported in such a manner as to take substantial stresses dueto the set back of the firing pin without distortion and, as the pressure of the firing. pin due either to its spring or the set back has no tendency to displace the retaining member, the latter is free to move for release of the firing pin when the soluble member has been sufliciently weakened by the action of the solution. 1

The setting is preferably efi'ected automatically by means of a pair of bottles containing the solvent and placed in recesses communicating with the solvent or diaphragm chamber, the bottles being broken by the set back due to firing the shell from the gun.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which and provided with the firing spring 6, the

outer .end of which bears against the screwed plug a in the end of the body. 0

I is the celluloid or equivalent diaphragm or disk placed in the inner end of the transverse solvent chamber D. E is the transverse retaining member lying in the channel 6 and abutting at its end 0' against the face of-the diaphragm C, a springE being provided atthe other end of the member to normally keep the member up against the diaphragm. The retaining member is cut away at the upper side forming the recess 6 providing a flat face on which the lower end of the firing pin B is supported. The member E is slotted at e', the narrow end a of the slot allowing the point I) only of the firing pin to project through while the main part of the slot, when the member moves forward, is sufliciently large to permit the pin B to spring forward through the member E. F, F are the solvent bottles placed in the cesses a in the body A, the recesses being closed by the plugs a when the bottles are in place. Passages a a and a lead from 'the recesses to the solvent chamber D.

In the position shown in the drawings, the firing pin B is held in inoperative position by the member E and, as the support of the firing pin is transverse to its axis, the firing spring exerts no force tending to displace the retaining member which is therefore normally actedupon only by its spring 6 which is not strong enough to force the -member through the diaphragm C until the latter has been sufiiciently softened by the solvent.

The solvent bottles F may, as shown, be supported at their forward ends by the caps or inertia members f, preferably of lead, springs f keeping the bottles up against their caps. When the shell is fired from the gun, the lead caps f owing to the set back exert sufiicient pressure upon the solvent bottles to break them, liberating the solvent which escapes into the recesses a and thence passes through passages a a into the solvent chamber D, moistening the pad 0 of absorbent material which is placed behind the diaphragm C and is kept in down to steady flight, the centrifugal action of the rotating shell drives the solvent outwardly so that its inner face lies on a cylindrical surface. Even if, however, the solvent is driven outwardly by centrifugal force so as to clear the pad 0, the latter has already been moistenedsufliciently to maintain efiicient solvent action on the diaphragm.

When the shell strikes an object or the ground the lead caps 7 fly forward relatively to .the shell and drive the solvent which may lie in front of them through the passages a into the solvent chamber I), insuring flooding of the chamber.

The solvent action. of the acetone or other liquid upon the diaphragm C gradually breaks down the resistance of the diaphragm so that after a period of say from fifteen minutes to twenty-four hours. according to the nature of the solvent and the thickness and nature of the diaphragm, the latter is sufiiciently weakened to allow the spring 0 to force the retaining member E through the diaphragm bringing the main portion of the slot etinto line with the firing pin B, which thereupon springs through the axial pasGs rage a and strikes the detonating cap at It is found that as long as the pad 0 has once been thoroughly saturated with the solvent,the fuse will function after all the surplus solvent has been poured oil? so that no matter what position the fuse may take when the shell comes to rest, the solvent action will proceed and in due time allon the retaining member or bolt E to operate. The greater mass of the bolt E is placed atthe side opposite to the soluble diaphragm or disk C so that the centrifugal action due to rotation of the'shell tends to move the .bolt against the action of its spring 6 This partly or completely takes off the pressure of the bolt fromthe disk during the flight of the shell so that until the shell comes to rest there is no tendency for the bolt to force its way through the disk.

The spring 0 of the retaining bolt is arranged to have a pressure more than sufficient to overcome the frictional resistance due to the firing pin B under the action of its own spring, but the excess of pressure should not be great as it is not desirable to subject the celluloid disk to any substantial pressure tending to break it down.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of. the UnitcdStates is: i

1. Firing mechanism of the l"nd set forth for shells and other explosive missiles, comprising a spring operated striker, a transversely movable striker retaining member having its retaining face at substantially right angles -to the meeting face of the striker so that the latter has no tendency to displace the said member, a soluble member against which the retaining member abuts, a spring pressing the retaining member against the soluble member, and means for admitting ,a solvent to the said soluble member.

2. Firing mechanism of the kind set forth 7 for shellsand other explosive missiles, comprising a spring actuated striker, a spring controlled transversely movable retaming member adapted to hold up the striker and slotted to permit the striker to pass through when the retaining member moves into releasing position, a soluble member adapted to hold the retaining member in retaining position and means for admitting a solvent to the said soluble member. 7

3. Firing mechanism of the kind set forth for shells, comprising a spring operated striker, a transversely movable retaining member independent of the action of the striker spring, a separate spring acting upon the said retaining member, a soluble member holding up the retaining member against the pressure of its spring, a breakable solvent container, means by which the said container is broken the set back on firing the shell from a gun, and means for admitting the solvent from the broken container to the soluble member.

4. Firing mechanism of the kind set forth for shells and other explosive missiles, comprising a spring actuated striker, a spring controlled transverse retaining member adapted to hold up the striker, a soluble diaphragm holding the retaining member in retaining position, "an absorbent pad lying against a face of thesaid diaphragm and means for admittingthe solvent to the said Pe 5'. Firing mechanism of the kind set forth for shellsandother eizplosive missiles, comprising a longitudinally mounted spring controlled firing pin having a vprojecting Pa t int se li g bel in a slot with a reduced end through which the point of the firing pin projects and a supporting face for the end of the firing pin, a spring bearing on the transverse bolt, a soluble disk holding the said bolt in operative position and means for admitting solvent to the said disk whereby when the disk is sufliciently weakened by the solvent the transverse bolt is displaced by its spring to allow the firing pin to spring through the main portion of the slot.

6. Firing mechanism of the kind. set forth for shells, comprising a spring operated firing pin, a spring controlled transverse retaining member, a soluble diaphragm holding the said member in retaining position and means for admlttmg solvent to the sald diaphragm, the transverse retalnmg memher having the greater portion of its mass at the side of the shell axis opposite to the soluble diaphragm so that the centrifugal force due to rotation of the shell acts to relieve the diaphragm of pressure.

7. Firing mechanism of the kind set forth for shells, comprising a fuse body, a spring controlled firing pin moving axially of the shell, a spring controlled transverse retaining member adapted to hold up and release the firing pin, a soluble diaphragm holding the said member in retaining position, a pair of breakable solvent vessels placed in recesses in the fuse body and solvent channels leading from the said recesses to the back of the soluble diaphragm.

GEORGE LEONARD MOALPINE. 

